45 Best Cable Alternatives on Roku for Cord-Cutting

cord-cutting • December 4, 2023 • Staff

Roku was originally a project within Netflix called "Project:Griffin" but it spun off into its own company. Now, it's often hailed as the best streaming player for TVs, offering a complete, fast, and reliable experience. It's a great choice of a device for cord-cutters.

Almost every major live TV streaming app is available on Roku: Philo, Sling, Fubo, Frndly TV, Pluto TV, Xumo, Hulu with Live TV, and DirecTV Stream. These are all great cable alternatives, but from this list, you can find which one works best for you.

Distro TV

Distro TV is a free streaming service that features free shows, movies, documentaries, news, concerts, and more from all around the world. It specializes in global content, drawing from the US, UK, and Canada, as well as from other parts of Europe, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It has both live and on-demand content, plus it's easy to stream from many devices, making it an easy and affordable option for cord-cutters.

Go to Distro TV

Price: free for 1 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, LG, Roku, Samsung Smart TV

Channel lineup:

DirecTV Stream Premier

The most cable-like live TV package to date, DirecTV Stream Premier carries every possible channel you can think of. The sports department has ESPN and Fox Sports, to name a few, plus all the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB specialty channels. Meanwhile, the entertainment department has premium networks like HBO, Starz, Cinemax, and Showtime. It even has RSNs and local channels, all of which total more than 150 channels, so if you want your subscription to cover multiple bases, this is as comprehensive as it gets. All this comes to a hefty $160/month, which seems like a lot for a cord-cutting service, but with features like unlimited screens and DVR, it's worth considering if you have the budget to spare.

Go to DirecTV Stream Premier

Price: $159.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: 75 Channels in "entertainment" including ESPN & Fox Sports, ACC Network, American Heroes Channel HD, Aspire, BBC News, BET Her, Bounce, CBS Sports Network, Cheddar News, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, ESPN U, ESPNews, Fanduel TV, Fox Sports FS2, Fuse, Fuse Music, FXM, FYI, Game Show Network, GetTV, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, LMN, Logo, Magnolia Network, MeTV, MLB Network, MTV Classic, National Geographic Wild, NBA TV, NFL Network, NHL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, OWN, Oxygen, Pop TV, Showtime BET, Sportsman Channel, Travel Channel, Universal Kids, Up TV

DirecTV Stream Choice

There's a reason why DirecTV Stream Choice is the provider's most popular package to date: it carries over 105 channels, many of which are specialty sports channels like Big Ten Network, MLB Network, and NBA TV; it has local channels and RSNs where available; it offers premium add-ons like Starz and HBO; and maybe most important of all, it's still under a hundred bucks, which is not something you can say about most live TV packages these days.

In other words, Stream Choice is for those looking for extra sports coverage while wanting to enjoy the usual benefits of DirecTV, like unlimited screens and DVR, and keeping it all under a reasonable budget.

Go to DirecTV Stream Choice

Price: $84.99/month

Free Trial: 5 days

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku, Roku TV, Samsung TV

Channel lineup: 75 Channels in "entertainment" including ESPN & Fox Sports, Cheddar News, CNBC World, Comedy TV, Cooking Channel, Cozi TV, ESPN U, ESPNews, Fanduel TV, Fuse, Game Show Network, Golf Channel, Great American Family, GRIT, Heroes & Icons, MeTV, MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, OWN, PopTV, Travel Channel, Up TV

Cineverse

Cineverse is a free streaming service that has both on-demand content and live channels, all of which feature a broad range of content. The new streaming service's mission is to offer as many titles as it can, so you won't find a lot of blockbusters or big studio productions here (unless they're available for rent on ROW8), but you will have access to a ton of vintage, international, and niche films and TV shows. Our personal favorites include Howard's End, Mustang, and The Little Shop of Horrors.

Since the streaming service is free, you'll encounter a lot of ads, but you can always subscribe to Cineverse's premium version, which costs $2.99/month, to get rid of the commercials and get access to even more content.

Go to Cineverse

Price: free for 24 channels available

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, Comecast Xfinity, Google TV, iOS, LG, Roku, Roku TV, Tizen Samsung, Vizio, Website

Channel lineup: Asian Crush, AsianCrush, Bloody Disgusting, CONtv, CONtv Anime, Crime Hunters, Docurama, El Ray Network, Fandor, GustoTV, Lodestar, Maverick Black Cinema, Midnight Pulp, Retro Crush, RetroCrush, Row8, Screambox, So…Dramatic, So…Real, The Bob Ross Channel, The Country Channel, The Dove Channel, The Elvis Presley Channel, The Film Detective

Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ Bundle

The Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ Bundle is for those looking to boost their streaming subscription with even more original shows, popular films, and live broadcasts of news and sports. Under the Paramount tent, you get ongoing franchises like Star Trek and Yellowstone, kids' TV shows like Spongebob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer, and blockbusters like Top Gun and Everything, Everywhere, All at Once—not to mention local CBS stations that stream news, sports, and other live events. And now that Paramount+ has merged with Showtime, you also get the latter network's enviable lineup of documentaries, series, and sporting coverages.

Since the merger is fairly new, Amazon Prime will occasionally offer the bundle at discounted rates, but generally, it still costs $11.99/month on top of Amazon's $14.99/month subscription. That's not a bad deal for a bundle packed with popular movies, original shows, and live TV.

Go to Amazon Prime Video and Paramount+ Bundle

Price: $26.98/month

Device availability: Amazon Fire TV, Android, Apple TV, Changhong, Chromecast, Haier, Hisense, iOS, LG, Nvidia SHIELD, Panasonic, Philips, PlayStation, Roku, Samsung, Sharp, Skyworth, Sony, TiVo, Vestel, Vizio, Website, Wii, Xbox

Channel lineup: CBS local channels

Air TV

If you have an Air TV streaming device, you'll automatically have free access to 1oo local channels from affiliates like ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS all in HD. To be clear, the local channels are free in the sense that you don't have to pay a monthly bill to watch them, as you would on a cable or live TV subscription, but you do have to pay a one-time fee that sets you up with an Air TV device and an HD antenna. Depending on the bundle you pick, that can cost you anywhere from $150 to $250. It seems like a lot, but it makes sense when you consider that it comes with DVR, the ability to watch local channels anywhere, and for Sling TV subscribers, seamless integration in all your devices.

Although you don't need to be a Sling TV subscriber to start using Air TV, the two are perfect complements that save you a lot of money, in the long run. Sling TV has live TV channels equipped for sports, entertainment, and nationwide news, while the one-time-payment Air TV gives you constant and uninterrupted access to your local channels. If you do combine them, Sling takes care of any overlaps to ensure you're getting the best of both streaming worlds in all compatible devices.

Go to Air TV

Price: free for 3 channels available

Device availability: AirTV Mini, AirTV Player, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Android TV, Apple TV, iOS, Roku

Channel lineup: CBS local channels, NBC local channels, PBS local channels

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